Views: 0
Should the West be worried about comments made by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un signaling an apparent change in nuclear doctrine from the secretive dictatorship?
Threats by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un that his nuclear arsenal could be used in a pre-emptive strike against his enemies, made as he paraded the country’s latest military hardware through the streets of capital Pyongyang, have set alarm bells ringing. The world can ill-afford another military confrontation at this time, say analysts.
Thousands of troops marched through Kim Il-Sung Square in a show of force on April 26, alongside armored vehicles and massive tractor-trailer vehicles transporting an array of missiles. Notably among them was a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The North claims to have successfully tested this on March 24 in a launch that marked a reversal in halting testsof both ICBMs and nuclear warheads.
Pyongyang claims the most advanced weapon in its armory can carry multiple warheads and has a range of more than 15,000 km, putting the entire continental US within striking distance.
A shifting philosophy?
“The fundamental mission of our nuclear forces is to deter a war, butour nuclear weapons can never be confined to the single mission of war deterrent,” state-run media quoted Kim as saying. “If any forces try to violate the fundamental interests of our state, our nuclear forces will have to decisively accomplish their second mission.”
Could North Korea ‘pre-emptively’ use nuclear weapons? (msn.com)